


For You, I May

by Planetarial



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Action, Dressing, Fluff, Fluri, Kissing, M/M, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-03-07 10:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18871291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Planetarial/pseuds/Planetarial
Summary: Flynn manages to convince Yuri to wear the uniform of a true knight.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Post canon. Spoilers (duh). Mild Fluri (Yuri/Flynn). Ordination is a weird term to use over coronation but that’s the wording the game uses.
> 
> Was going to be a one shot but I might extend it to another chapter in the future given how it ends.

Today marked Ioder’s long awaited ordination ceremony. After many weeks and arrangements needed, they were finally able to conduct the ceremony at the castle in Zaphias. Many were invited, including Yuri Lowell, personally by the royal heir himself. The prince wished to welcome him as a guest of honor for all that he had done to save the planet. Yuri had no desire to attend some royal ceremony, but Flynn and especially Estelle insisted that his presence was desired, and that they weren’t taking no for an answer. So on that day, Yuri made his way towards the castle, dressed in his usual outfit, still carrying around a sword dangling by the strips of rope that kept it in place. He cared not for the stares and attention that laid eyes on him as he walked up into the Royal Quarter. But he did flinch at seeing a couple of knights approaching him as he walked up the castle stairs. He half expected to be thrown in jail for some bullshit reason at this point.

However that instinct didn’t come to pass. Instead he ended up in Flynn’s room at the castle once more, directed to go there by the castle peons by request of the Commandant himself. His best friend, now high rank knight, was able to make time for them in his room as they both prepped themselves and greeted him as he walked inside, closing the door behind. Flynn was adorned in his full armor that only those of his prized rank were allowed to wear. Yuri had to admit, Flynn appeared to be that ideal knight in shining armor he aspired to be.

For all he knew, Flynn just wanted to have a chat, maybe catch up on the happenings since departing their own separate ways. Little did he knew his friend was going to wrap him up into even dressing like the knights, presenting him with the Paladin’s outfit. Ioder apparently requested it himself that Yuri wore it. Really though, did they need to be so concerned about appearances? 

“I already told you, I’m not wearing that.” The dark haired man grumbled as Flynn pulled out the uniform from inside the box it was stored in. After the war with the Adephagos had ended, he gave Estelle back the ensemble, having little use to him. He had no interest in pretending like he was this upstanding guy - someone he wasn’t anymore. He thought they had given up on the idea at this point but clearly not.

“Would you please, if only for a day?” Flynn pleaded, laying out the outfit neatly on his bedspread and keeping it wrinkle free. Yuri was stubborn, and unable to follow orders or suck things up for a day to appease others. But just this once, he’d like to have Yuri cooperate, especially for such an important occasion.

Yuri sighed, giving up. “It’s just one thing after another isn’t it?” The young man leaned up against the room wall, dropping his head slightly. “Guess you’re not going to leave me alone about this huh?”

“So will you..?”

“Just toss me the outfit already.” Yuri retorted, giving Flynn a stare. But Flynn didn’t want to wad the esteemed outfit up in a ball. Instead he hung it up neatly across his arm, picked up the shoes with his free hand, and walked over.

“Here.” He offered the uniform to Yuri up close, placing the shoes on the floor next to him. Yuri accepted the clothing without a word. Man, he was letting himself go too soft, wasn’t he?

As Yuri started to undress himself, stripping off his shirt first and tossing it aside on the ground, Flynn turned away, his back now facing Yuri’s half nude body. Yuri found it... confusing. He expected Flynn to just chill while he dressed himself, just like how they always were. 

“What’s gotten into you?” He spoke as his pants hit the floor, now clothed in only a pair of black boxers and his Bodi Blastia.

“I-I thought it would only be proper to give you some privacy.” Flynn spoke up, not moving an inch from where he was standing. That was only half the truth. The other well.. since he had time to sit back and recall over this long journey he realized some things about himself and Yuri. How his heart ached when he found out Yuri had plunged into the ocean and was thought to be dead for a while. How when he felt a sense of wanting to stay with him as they laid there in the grass, fresh off the highs of their intense friendly bout together, how his heart skipped a beat each time he spotted Yuri in the Lower Quarter as he was passing by. He wanted more than anything else, to confirm these ever-present feelings.

But back to Yuri who laughing at the absurdity of the comment, barely able to keep himself together as he slipped on the clothes. “Damn Flynn, we’re childhood friends. You and I have seen each other naked more than anyone else. Did being in the knights make you a prude?” Given that his normal attire was remarked by the upper class as being too lewd for having a half opened shirt, he was going to go with yes.

“Well..” Flynn’s voice trailed off, unable to really respond to that. 

Yuri continued to put on the outfit. He admitted to himself, it wasn’t too bad. Nothing he would usually be caught dead wearing, but it pretty practical. Too bad fighting hasn’t been the same since the blastia were taken away. He slipped on the shoes, tapping the floor lightly as he settled in. “I’m finished.”

Flynn turned around, grinning as he saw Yuri in the outfit. “How is it?” He could tell Yuri perhaps, was going to like it more than he let on.

“Could be worse I guess.” Yuri shrugged. He was beginning to think Flynn was a little too eager for this, the way he was hounding him and how positive he reacted. Man, his best friend sure was acting weird today. Maybe all this Commandant business was affecting him? If only it were so simple to arrange for them to have a night out drinking.

The Commandant couldn’t help but take notice of the yellow bracelet he still wore, even after changing clothes. Perhaps it stood out even more because he had gotten so used to Yuri wearing it with his normal attire that it blended in.

“Still wearing your Bodhi Blastia ring?” Flynn remarked. Even with the technology lost, some choose to kept their Bodhi for personal reasons, attachment, or just because they liked the way it looked. Flynn only kept his because it was built into his uniform.

“Of course I do, it’s a reminder of back then. I can’t just take it off even with Blastia gone.” Yuri’s fist clenched, memories of his old commander spilling back into the center of his mind. Wonder what he would say now, in this Blastia free world? And Yuri leaving their platoon all together? But such thoughts were only fleeting as he didn’t want to dwell on the matter.

“And here I thought you wanted to leave behind your time at the knights.” It was just about the only thing Yuri kept from those days. That and his companion Repede.

“Says the person trying to make me play dress-up as one.” Yuri scoffed. Was he trying to tease him now?

“Touche.” The knight sighed. But Yuri had a point; no need to go further especially since he was annoyed enough as is.

“What’s this?” Yuri’s eyes now laid on the small black band that still was in the box. He hadn’t spotted it when he dressed himself. Was it some sort of tight bracelet? “Was I supposed to wear this too?”

“That would be a hairband. It’s tradition for those with the mark of a Paladin to wear their hair up if they choose to keep it long.” Flynn explained, taking the band out its box, fingers clasped around it. “If I may?” He asked. He knew Yuri didn’t bother to do anything with his hair beyond basic maintenance and occasionally trimming the edges with his sword. Such quick and dirty haircuts made the ends of his hair uneven but Yuri didn’t care. So long as it didn’t get out of hand, he would keep it as is.

“Sure, sure. I already look ridiculous enough. Let’s see how far you’re going to go.” The rogue snarked as he sat down in the chair. Might as well let Flynn make him more fancy and primped. Normally he wouldn’t allow anyone to touch his hair, but Flynn was one of the few whom Yuri gave permission for.

With his blessing, Flynn took the brush off his nightstand and brushed Yuri’s long sweeping dark hair. It was clean but had some small tangles, and it smelled like Yuri used the cheapest conditioner he could find. He wasn’t surprised as his close friend never put much thought into his mane, keeping it long despite various comments. He didn’t care. If anything, he was miffed that some stranger had nothing better to do but to make comments about his appearance. Regardless Flynn went to work, brushing it like he would when they were younger, and Yuri needed to look more presentable.

Yuri cringed, running his fingers briefly across the top of his head as Flynn brushed, feeling how smooth it was now. “You don’t have to fix my hair like this.”

“But I want to, and you need to look nice.” His friend insisted, lightly batting away Yuri’s fingers.

“Just to impress some stuffy rich people? Why would I care?” Yuri groaned. He just couldn’t wait for all the snide backhanded comments of the upper crust from him “attempting to fit in”. Ugh.

“You know everyone from all over is coming, Ioder has even invited all of the members of Brave Vesperia; it’ll be a wonderful reunion.” Flynn stated.

“I wonder how those guys are faring...” Yuri pondered. It had been only a few weeks since the war came to an end and their group split. While the guild never officially dissolved, they all had more or less went their own separate ways. He wondered in particular for Karel. Even though it's only been a short time ago, it was as if a lifetime had gone by and he was back to his usual quiet life, only occasionally stopping by Dahngrest when Karel and Raven had favors they needed to have done.

“There we go.” Flynn smiled, Yuri’s dark hair now fixed into one long ponytail that now barely reached past his shoulders.

“Alright!” Yuri stood up, rubbing the back of his neck. It felt suddenly so cold back there, now exposed for all to see. He checked himself out in the mirror, seeing just how much he had changed. Not bad. Not anything like him, with his hair up, fancy shoes, and wearing clothes that could have bought out his entire building with the amount of gald that went into them. But it wasn’t as humiliating as he thought. With his curiosity sated, he spun around to meet back at Flynn’s gaze. It was getting closer to the start of the event and they didn’t have much time. Last thing he wanted was to get chewed out by being tardy.

“We’re done now? Flynn..?”

Flynn’s face was marked by a shade of pink, seemingly captivated by Yuri’s appearance. Yuri was always a handsome guy, if a little rough,but having his appearance cleaned up like this really brought forth his inner beauty and he couldn’t help but feeling mesmerized.

“I-it nothing.” He answered in an ohso-dishonest tone. Yuri saw right through it, Flynn couldn’t fib his way through this - not with how good he’s gotten at reading him.

“Its nothing? Bah, what a load of crap. Then why are you looking like we’re trawling through the desert again?” Yuri frowned, completely at a loss as to why Flynn was acting so strange, feeling out of the loop.

“It’s the way you look.. it’s stunning.” He looked away, embarrassed and his face feeling hot after admitting those words.

“Oh so that’s the only reason you were so in to me wearing this outfit huh?” Yuri practically rolled his eyes. That’s what it was? If he didn’t have second thoughts about the uniform already, he sure did now. “Tell me, is there something going on?”

“No of course not, you’ve always looked amazing Yuri!” He blurted out, and cupping his mouth as he realized how loud he had gotten. Yuri’s eyes flew open in surprise and he reached over to cup his friend’s mouth and threw a glance at the door. Jeez, it's a wonder nobody heard that from the outside, especially as they weren’t far from Estelle’s room and she had to be pretty well guarded.

“Oi, don’t go saying those things out in the open, especially not in front of Estelle.” Yuri looked back over in annoyance, letting his hand fall back down to his side. Flynn however was left confused.

“Why would you say that?”

“Are you that dense? She likes you, Flynn, and not just as friends.” He said matter of factly. “Come on, she even said her ideal man was a great and lovely knight by her side.” Seemed super obvious to him; he wouldn’t be surprised if they were courting in secret by now.

“Oh..”

“You don’t seem thrilled.” He thought his friend would be happier at such news. The two of them seemed to make a disgustingly sweet pair.

“It’s just.. with regards to Lady Estellise, I’ve only seen her as someone I need to protect. A dear friend, but nothing else.” Flynn looked the other way, feeling conflicted as he had never thought about settling into something deeper than that with her. Just someone off dates when she needed someone to accompany her at royal parties and balls.

“Oh? So who is your ideal partner then? One of those knight girls?” Yuri’s eyes traveled towards the photographs that sat on Flynn’s desk, crossing his arms. That had to be it wasn’t it?

“Absolutely not.” Flynn was quick to correct him, having none of that either. “As their commander, it would feel inappropriate for me to engage in-“

“So who is your type then? Spit it out! It’s just the two of us here.” Yuri coaxed him, getting invested in what he had to say. Flynn meanwhile looked deflated, but there wasn’t anything he could to avoid this. 

“Well... its someone who cares deeply for their friends. Someone who is willing to do what’s right and just in their own way. Someone who helped me see the flaws in our system. And someone who learned how to stomach my own special recipes when others wouldn’t even take a bite, just for me. That’s the kind of person I would cherish and wish to spend the rest of my life with.”

Now it was Yuri’s turn to be flustered, taken off guard as he digested what his friend had meant. He knew exactly what Flynn was implying, right down to criticizing his cooking. Did he really mean it? The two of them..?

“Flynn... you..” Yuri could only bring himself to utter a few words, stunned by the proclamation of love and left bewildered. Did he really feel this way about him? Would he be alright with being bound to a low class rogue like himself?

“Yes?”

A sharp knock came from Flynn’s door and a soft female’s voice called out.  
“Yuri? Flynn? It’s almost time for the Ordination to start.” Estelle spoke from the other side, reminding them of why they were preparing themselves to begin with.

Instantly the mood had deflated around them, like a balloon being pricked by a sharp pin. The color returned to both of their faces and Flynn was quick to rush to the door to confirm Estelle’s question. Yuri was even more quick thinking and grabbed ahold of Flynn’s arm before he could make way towards the exit, eyes narrowed and serious.

“We need to talk later after this whole ceremony. Just me and you. Alone.”

“Of course.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened after that meeting in the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same warnings as last time. Post game. Spoilers probably. Fluri (Yuri/Flynn).
> 
> I appreciate everyone’s patience in waiting for the second and final chapter of this fanfic. I hope I delivered on a satisfying conclusion!

Yuri didn’t exactly enjoy himself at the ordination, but he can’t say he completely hated it. These kinds of elaborate ceremonies were just places he didn’t belong and would rather stay out of and let those who would enjoy these kinds of spectacles alone. After a while he can’t help but wonder why the council can’t put even a fifth of the gald that went into this money pit into improving the Lower Quarter conditions. Shows how much they care. But what did prevent him from thinking sour thoughts the entire way through was meeting up and chatting with Brave Vesperia. Even if many asked about his knight costume and Judith even teased him about how feminine and proper it made him look. Once the elephant was out of the way, they went straight back to catching up on how everyone was doing since their journeys’ end and mostly going their own ways. Everyone in their group present except for Flynn in their own section - even Repede was permitted to attend. Estelle also declined her prized position near Ioder to be with the group, to which the new Emperor agreed at the seating arrangement.

When Flynn did make his way down the hall, escorting Ioder to the center of the room, Yuri’s heart skipped a beat. He recalled back to his confession in the Commandant’s room. Just how was he supposed to react to that? How long has Flynn been harboring feelings for him? You just don’t drop that out of the blue like that. Especially when they wouldn’t be able to work it out until later. 

“Yuri, is something the matter?” Estelle turned to look at him from their seats, noticing Yuri was looking at Flynn strangely. 

“Nah, it’s nothing.” He brushed her concerns aside.

“Oh he’s just worried for fear of Flynn messing it up, it’s his first time at a ceremony like this as the Commandant is it not?” Judith chimed in.

“... you can put it that way.” Yuri answered, taking the convenient approach that landed on him.

“Yep, as the youngest Commandant ever by a good few years he’s got some mighty big shoes to fill.” Raven also threw in his thoughts.

“He’s earned it, all these knights could use someone like him in charge-not another Cumore or Alexei.” Yuri admitted. He still believed there to be corruption around, but maybe now with Flynn at the helm of the knights and in charge maybe he could make a dent in it.

“Maybe you should ask him if you can be his second in command. You certainly seemed dressed for the part.” Judith teased, knowing it was a sour spot for the ex knight.

“Not a chance.” Yuri sighed in annoyance. No one was going to stop talking about his outfit today.

The afterparty was one Yuri didn’t stick around for long, chatting almost exclusively to his friends. The nobles didn’t want anything to do with him anyway, so why bother? This included a short brief exchange with the newly crowned Emperor when his Highness came by. Nothing but congratulations and thanks for attending - the usual pleasantries. He dipped away not long after, saying his goodbyes. They all knew where to find him anyway. He waited just outside in the central courtyard, leaning up against the wall and Repede sitting down on the floor next to his master. He knew Flynn would soon come; he just had to wait.

It wasn’t long until he heard footsteps closing in on him and a familiar figure coming to stand beside him. Yuri simply turned his head around, giving a short greeting. “Hey.”

“You’re leaving so soon?” Flynn asked. Though really he wasn’t too shocked. The man wasn’t made for bumping elbows with the upper crust, acting as if they were all equals. At least he was thankful Yuri stuck around for part of it and wore the outfit.

“You know these kinds of parties aren’t my thing.” He threw a serious glance over at his friend. “Flynn, remember what I said earlier?” His voice slightly on edge, man what an awkward situation to be with your childhood friend. If they didn’t work things out soon it could get.. weird.

“Right but I need to wait until the festivities are over with. Could you come back here in a few hours?” The Commandant requested. His responsibility involved staying for the entire duration after all.

“What, you’re not going to escort me to your room?” Yuri playfully winked, falling back into his usual antics. “Just kidding, you go and have fun Flynn.” He added quickly before Flynn could speak up, turning around and walking over into the halls that lead to Flynn’s personal quarters.

“And do you. Stay out of trouble, I’d hate to see you return in handcuffs!” Flynn exclaimed while Yuri was moving down the halls, to which Yuri only answered with a shrug. Not his problem if the knights decided to harass his friends for some bogus reason today.

The time passed and the party drew to a close with the rest of their group, sans Flynn, and Estelle had left, parting ways once more. It was all quiet in the castle now except for the occasional footsteps of the guards heard in the distance. Ioder had retired to his quarters to rest and Flynn was off duty for the rest of the night. He still wore his armor in case he was needed. He noticed that when he returned to his own room later that the costume Yuri had worn was on the floor in a heap. Flynn just sighed and folded it up neatly in a box, wondering if it would ever be worn again.

Without much if any fanfare, he manages to meet with Yuri on time. He didn’t get himself into any shenanigans and was waiting patiently by the front steps. But what catches him off guard is that the other man’s dark hair was still pulled back in the ponytail even though he had changed to his normal streetwear. Yuri catches Flynn’s reaction, smiling confidently.

“Surprised? Did you think that I was getting thrown in jail again?”

“You know I was merely jesting back there.”

“The knights have better things to do today than bother people about their taxes I guess.”

Flynn sighed in exasperation. “...I didn’t think you would keep your hair like that. You seemed to detest the whole ensemble.”

“It’s only because you’re the one who liked it so much.” Yuri teased him right back, running his fingers through his dark hair. “I never would have guessed you had a thing for hairstyle like this.” Would certainly explain one reason why Estelle failed to capture his attention.

“Erm..” Flynn flustered,looked the other way. He can’t really refute it either so he chose to change the subject. “In any case, come with me.” Yuri nodded and followed wherever Flynn would take him, his room again perhaps? Seemed like the most logical choice.

Nope. Instead they make a turn over to the side of the castle, where the outdoor gardens were. It was quiet and nobody else was around save for a guard patrolling in the distance. A perfect spot for them to have a talk.

“Why don’t we have a seat over here?” Yuri gestured towards a patch of grass next to a cliff that overlooked the entire capital. It was a nice view all things considered, and they could watch as lights dotted the map while the sun set and took away the light . As they sat on the cold ground, Yuri felt a wave of nostalgia. It reminded him of simpler times when him and Flynn spent their whole days together and now they were worlds apart. They could just catch bugs, sleep under the moonlight, or pretend to be heroes.

But this wasn’t the time for lazily passing away the rest of the day. Yuri turned over and look at Flynn with concerned eyes. It was time to bring it up, awkward as it might be. He wasn’t mad, rather just confused and wanted to come to an understanding.

“So when were you going to tell me this? How long has this been going on?” It was a question that was hard to pin down from his point of view. After all they had known each other their whole lives by that point. Did it date back to when they were teenagers or had this been a recent thing? Hell, Yuri wasn’t even aware Flynn had a thing for men or was interested in pursuing romance to begin with.

“I guess around the time you left the knights.” Flynn guessed. Actually he did have a hunch but it wasn’t until they had gone their own ways that he missed Yuri’s presence and started to come to terms with his own feelings. Unfortunately, by then he was fully committed to his tenure at the knights and didn’t have much time for his personal affairs.

“Really? You’ve been bottling up those feelings for this long?” Yuri asked. It kind of made sense to him now why he suddenly confessed. If it were him he would have long outworn his patience. “I would have gone crazy in your shoes.”

“It’s not like I developed them all at once.” Flynn was quick to correct. “After you left, I missed you terribly but had other pressing matters in mind. But getting to travel with you and your friends and having this journey.. well it made me realize I should be honest about my feelings with you.”

Yuri sighed, rolling his head back to look at the sky, spotting the bright twinkle of the Brave Vesperia star.

Man this was gonna be a doozy.

Did Flynn understand what he was getting himself into? Surely he knew what the consequences must entail. But then again, Flynn did have issues going soft on him with their past history.

Which may worsen should they enter a relationship.

“Flynn, I’m not going to sugarcoat this.” He lowered his head, scooting closer so he was within a short distance away from Flynn’s face. “You don’t need someone like me. You don’t deserve someone like me. I’m nothing more than some guy who’s a thorn in the knight’s side. Do you really want this?” He wanted nothing but the best for Flynn and not put his career in jeopardy.

“I’ve already made up my mind.” And Flynn’s response was quick, firm and absolute. He had long cemented his decision on whether to act on his feelings  
“Well that was quick. Look, we may have grown up together and shared everything, but we live in two different places now. I just don’t want you to get involved in something you’ll regret.” He could only imagine the ruffling it would cause. Yuri didn’t care for what royalty had to think of him, but Flynn might given his station. 

“... I don’t care. If anyone has an issue with it, I will tell them that they needn’t be concerned for my own personal life. I am certain Emperor Ioder will give us his blessing too. What matters is our happiness.”

“Seems like you’ve given it plenty of thought.” Well it looks like Flynn wasn’t going to budge; he was stubborn, and set in his ways.

“Yeah. So if I may ask, do you accept my feelings?” Flynn offered up his hand, as if to give a handshake. Yuri found it hard to suppress a laugh. He’s been so dedicated to his job that he was starting to treat stuff outside of it like it was a professional arrangement.

“Man, making me answer right here and now? It’s not exactly an easy thing to consider you know.” That being said, he had already deliberated it over the past day, all the way up until he climbed the castle steps. It wasn’t something to take lightly. He and Flynn have always been close, but lovers? That was entering a whole new ballgame.

“Oh my apologies. I’m willing to wait, you don’t have to give your answer right now.” Flynn was understanding, realizing he probably should have given more time. But Yuri had other ideas.

“Nah, I think I may just try this out.” A sly smile formed across his face. Romance was brand new territory for him. He was far from ignorant of it, just never became a priority in his life. To him, family came first above all.

But with Flynn maybe they could work things out.

“So does that mean...?” Flynn’s face lit up, unable to hold back all of his excitement. He really didn’t think this day would come. Yuri would shrug him off and say he wasn’t interested or say that he wasn’t his type. 

“Come on, you know what it means.” Course Yuri didn’t have the best idea of what all this was going to entail. Neither did Flynn. It would be an interesting learning experience to say the least for both of them.

Flynn reached over to hold hands with him, weaving their fingers together. His voice swelled with elation as he declared his joy. “Yuri, you’ve made me so happy!”

“No need to be a sap. Come here.” Oh boy, this really meant a lot to him did it? He let go of Flynn’s grasp , placing his hand on Flynn’s shoulder and started to draw in his friend now-over close. their lips were so close he could feel Flynn’s breathing and smell his scent.

But something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. A familiar shade of pink hair that could only belong to...

“Estelle?” She was several feet away in the gardens themselves, but jogged up to them when she was called out. Her face was worried , like whenever she had found someone who was injured while they were traveling together.

“Lady Estellise!” Whatever romantic tension between them dissipated into the air. Flynn pulled away from Yuri, practically jumped up onto his feet, and straightened up his posture. His cheeks now the same color as the roses that dotted along the gardens.

“Oh, so you’ve come out to eavesdrop on us?” Yuri asked, unfazed as he took more of his sweet time getting up from the grass.

“No, not at all. I just like walking by the gardens before I go to bed sometimes. Since I’ll be moving to Halure soon, I thought it would be nice to brush up on horticulture before I leave.” Estelle explained, bowing in apology. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but notice the two of you out here tonight. You didn’t have a fight did you? You two have been acting odd around each other all day..”

Oh she was utterly clueless.

Yuri’s face twists and he laughs at Estelle’s misunderstanding, unable to hold back from making fun of the mistake. “Oh man, you don’t have any idea!” Even after all the traveling they did, she was still naive.

Flynn looked like he wanted to sink below the ground.

“Huh?” Her expression turning even more puzzled. 

“I can assure you that we’re not fighting-“ Flynn managed to interject but Yuri cut him off, calmed down after having a good laugh about the misunderstanding.

“Actually that sounds like a good idea!” Yuri slid out the sheath from his sword and grabbed the handle in typical fashion. “Hey Flynn, let’s have a little bout.” The rogue grinned. “If you win, maybe I’ll give you a kiss.” He came up with that on the spot. They’ve had sparred over various things over the years, but nothing like this.

“A-A kiss?” Poor Estelle was left at a loss. “Flynn.. what’s been going on with Yuri?”

“Well...” Flynn swore internally. Now he was put in an awkward spot and in front of the princess of all things. “Me and Yuri.. we’ve decided from this point on that we’ll start seeing each other. As boyfriends.”

Estelle blinks, slowly coming to terms. “So that’s what was going on.. Wait that means..!”

“You’re not upset are you?” Flynn gave a soft expression, one of guilt. He had planned on talking with her later if Yuri reciprocated his feelings after finding out she did harbor some feelings for him. But again.. he didn’t have a choice. His wonderful choice of a boyfriend was already messing around.

“Of course not. What matters is that the both of you are happy. Oh my gosh, that’s so exciting!” She said with utmost earnest sincerity in her voice. “I always thought you two were pretty close.” Not this close but.. 

“You ready now?” Yuri was pumped up, already assuming a stance for battle. This was way more exciting than sitting around at some stuffy ceremony he didn’t belong in. Flynn glanced over at Estelle who nodded back,

“Yes.” He drew his weapon from the scabbard. “Lady Estellise, please stand back.” He instructed, even signalling to her to step back.

“Got it.” She trotted off to the side, giving them good distance. “Um, try not to get yourselves hurt!” She called out. “And good luck to you both!”

Both men offered one brief glance at the princess, their mouths forming a smile. Then their eyes locked with one another, their hands gripped around their swords. It was time and Flynn kicked it off with one word.

“Come!” 

The commandant held up his sword and shield and braced for Yuri to make the first strike. Yuri came charging in, going in to cleanly sweep Flynn off his feet with a wide sweeping kick. Flynn dodged it by jumping back and leaped forward with a sword strike. A loud clang rang out as Yuri blocked it by holding up his own blade, managing to keep the knight at bay.

“You know she took that better than I thought.” He grunted out while they still held the position, with Flynn trying to overpower Yuri in their stalemate. His teeth clenched as he felt Flynn’s strength pressing up against his sword.

“She’s a kind soul, I’m sure she wants what's best for us.” Flynn retorted back, finally knocking Yuri off with a shove of his shield. Yuri stumbled backwards onto the dirt, but dodged Flynn’s next attack with a roll and went for a swift punch to Flynn’s side.

“That’s our Estelle for you!” He shouted, managing to knock Flynn back and followed it up with a narrow swipe to the gut with his sword. Flynn felt the sting of the blade hitting him, but Yuri was thankfully not going in for a deep cut. This was only for fun after all. Flynn holds up his shield to block the incoming attacks as he recovered, finally managing to break free with a blow to Yuri’s chest that makes him fall right on his rear and in a vulnerable position.

“Given up?” Flynn asked as he pointed his sword at him. To be honest, he hoped it wasn’t the end. The battle seemed to fly by in an instant and it wasn’t just Yuri who thought this was the most enjoyable part of his day.

“In your dreams!” Yuri snarked, doing another roll to his side so he could launch himself up, using the momentum to kick at Flynn. Flynn staggered back and then stepped back a few more times to put more distance between them. His breathing was labored and Yuri’s was too, with his mouth hanging open to catch his breath. They stood in place, staring at one another until Yuri finally recovered and spoke up.

“Hey now, since we’re dating, I should call you something different.” Yuri suggested out of the blue. “Why not something cute?” He winked.

“...Do whatever you wish, if it makes you happy.” Flynn told him, somewhat bewildered by the request.

Yuri didn’t reply to that, instead he charged forth caring his sword firmly in both hands ready to go back in action. Flynn braced for it, charging forward as well. But when they came within a foot of each other, he swerved off to the left and swung his sword to get Flynn in the back.

“Alright how about ‘Honey’?” Yuri calls out with a cheeky grin. Flynn was momentarily caught off guard and only managed to partially block the attack. 

Flynn staggers to the side, blocking off another attack from Yuri. “Honey?”

“What, you don’t like it?” Yuri teases, throwing a few more kicks to Flynn’s side. 

“It’s not that, it’s just… not something I expected.” He winced as a few of the attacks connected, causing him to blow back and stumble to his feet.

“I could say the same for you.” He jumped up into the air for an aerial attack aimed at Flynn and called out. “Take this!” 

Flynn managed to dodge before Yuri could reach him. And while Yuri had to take a moment to recover, Flynn knocked Yuri’s fist with the dull side of blade, knocking out the sword from his hands into the grass. Flynn raised up his own sword in between the two, preventing his partner from chasing after it. Yuri thought for a moment what to do next and shrugged, conceding the battle. Flynn smiled triumphantly and withdrew his sword. “Looks like this victory goes to me.”

“Tch, beaten again.” Yuri shrugged, walking over to pick up the sword from where it lay on the grass. As usual, Flynn bested him in battle. He can’t be too mad about it though, especially when the reward he earned was going to make his day.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it; you don’t have the benefit of training everyday like me.” Flynn told him as Yuri came back over to join, sliding his sword back into the sheath.

“Guess I’ve gotten out of shape.” His head leans into Flynn’s personal space, kissing him on the lips like it was nothing and pulling back before his now boyfriend could object. “You better help me polish up my skills Flynn.” He licked his lips. Not a bad taste, and it was miles better than questionable dishes he often cooked. At first Flynn was silent, surprised by the sudden but not unwanted kiss. Slowly his lips form a smile, that was pleasant.

“...Dropping the nickname already?” As quick as he brought it up too.

“I was only doing it to mess with you during our fight. But that didn’t work well.” He shrugged, caught red handed in his little scheme. “You know me, once I get stuck using a name for a long time it's hard for me to switch.”

That was his plan, Flynn can’t say he’s surprised by it. But enough about that; he really wanted a little reassurance in their newly reciprocated love. “So are you really okay going forward like this?”

“About dating you?” Oh boy, apparently smooching him wasn’t enough for him to come to a conclusion. “Of course I’m okay with this. Come on, I didn’t just say it make you happy. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll still be friends as usual.”

“Absolutely, you’re still one of my dearest friends.” He puts his hand on Yuri’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “If I may, can I have another kiss? You snuck up on me last time.”

“Help yourself.” 

Flynn reached over to wrap his other arm around Yuri’s waist, the other on his cheek, pulling them close and letting their lips meet. The knight closed his eyes but he could still feel Yuri joining up by putting both hands on Flynn’s side, holding him in place as they enjoyed their first proper kiss as a couple.

Somewhere in the distance, a pink-haired princess wandered over back inside the castle, leaving the couple alone with a pleasant smile across her face. She felt like the two of them deserved to share this moment alone where no one could pry.

Their lips eventually parted and their eyes opened up once more, Yuri letting go of his grip and staring straight at Flynn with determined eyes. “You ready to walk the path of hell with me? Because that’s what you just signed up for.”

“For you, I may-“ Flynn shook his head. “No, I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to MJ for betaing this chapter!
> 
> And to everyone who leaves a kudos, bookmark or comment. I don’t reply to all of them but rest assured I do appreciate every single one of those I get.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to MJ for betaing this fic and Milk for catching some other minor assorted errors.
> 
> First time posting a fanfic publicly in nearly a decade, hopefully I did well.
> 
> My twitter is handle is gaurplains if you want to find me elsewhere.


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